Smith & Wesson 22a 22s Instructions Manual

							11
B.HANDLOADED OR RELOADED AMMUNITION
!!  WARNING  !!
Never use non-standard, reloaded or “handloaded”
ammunition which has not been subjected to internal 
ballistic pressure testing. Reloaded or handloaded
ammunition, may have many manufacturing and quality 
variables (such as the type and amount of gun powder).
Any ammunition that is improperly manufactured, even 
in the slightest degree, may fail to fire or may generate 
excessive internal pressures which can damage or 
even rupture the firearm, causing personal injury to 
the shooter or those in the immediate vicinity.
•Use only commercially manufactured ammunition with
internal ballistic pressures which are in strict accordance 
with the specifications of the Sporting Arms and 
Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). If you are 
uncertain, contact your ammunition supplier for verification.
C.
MISFIRES
•If your firearm fails to fire when the trigger is pulled 
(misfires), keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction, 
remove your finger from the trigger, and wait 10 seconds.
Only after you have completed all of the above steps, 
remove the magazine or open the cylinder and remove the 
cartridge from the chamber and dispose of it properly.
Keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction at all times.
•If you have heard an unusual sound or felt an unusual recoil 
on firing, stop firing, wait 10 seconds, unload the firearm, 
and examine the barrel bore for obstructions.
•Make sure your barrel is clear and free of obstructions.
If you see an obstruction, return your firearm to 
Smith & Wesson or take it to a qualified gunsmith. Never 
fire a firearm with an obstructed barrel.
D
.AMMUNITION SPECIFICS
•Use only ammunition specifically recommended by
Smith & Wesson for your firearm.
•Never mix ammunition.
•Never use a cartridge not specifically designated for use in 
your firearm. Pressure from the wrong type of ammunition 
may be beyond the capability of your firearm and may
damage or even rupture your firearm.
•Whenever rimless pistol cartridges are used in the cylinder 
of a Smith & Wesson revolver, (except M547) full or
half-moon clips MUST be used to both position and
extract such cartridges. Failure to use ammunition clips
with rimless cartridges may result in malfunction of the 
revolver.
AMMUNITION  CONT’D. 
						

							12
AMMUNITION  CONT’D.
•Additional ammunition calibers can be fired from the
following list of select calibers.
Caliber on Barrel
Can also Fire  .45 Colt .45 Schofield, .45 S&W, 
.45 Auto Rim
.45 S&W .45 Schofield
.44 Magnum  .44 Special  
.357 Magnum  .38 Special, .38 Special +P  
.22LR   .22L, .22 Short, .22CB, .22BB 
(in revolvers only) 
10mm  .40 S&W  (in revolvers only)
•In some cases, a round of ammunition not specified on your 
handgun may fit into the chamber or cylinder. Firing 
ammunition not specified on your handgun may cause it to 
rupture and cause serious injury or death to you or others.
•Always inspect your ammunition before using it. Never use
dirty, corroded or damaged ammunition which can lead to a 
burst cartridge which may cause damage to the handgun 
and personal injury.
E.
AMMUNITION WARNINGS
•“Plus-P” (+P) ammunition generates pressures in excess of 
the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such 
pressures may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the 
margin of safety built into some revolvers and could 
therefore be DANGEROUS. This ammunition should not be 
used in Smith & Wesson medium (K frame) revolvers
manufactured prior to 1958. Such pre-1958 medium
(K-frame) revolvers can be identified by the absence of a 
model number stamped inside the yoke cut of the frame.
(i.e., the area of the frame exposed when the cylinder is in 
the open position.
•“Plus-P-Plus (+P+) ammunition is not recommended for use 
in Smith & Wesson firearms. The marking on the ammuni-
tion merely designates that it exceeds established industry 
standards, but the designation does not represent defined 
pressure limits and therefore such ammunition may vary 
significantly as to the pressures generated.
•“Plus-P-Plus (+P+) ammunition is not recommended for use 
in Smith & Wesson firearms.
•In the Model 940 revolver, some brands of 9mm parabellum 
ammunition may cause difficulty in extracting spent 
cartridge cases from the cylinder. If this situation occurs, 
thoroughly clean the cylinder charge holes with solvent. If 
this condition persists, we recommend changing to another 
brand of 9mm parabellum ammunition.
•Smith & Wesson has found wide variations in primer
sensitivity between some brands and types of .22LR
ammunition. Smith & Wesson recommends that before you 
put your .22LR handgun into regular use, that you fire
several boxes of your brand of ammunition through it to 
determine reliability of ignition. If “failure to fire” occurs, try 
different types of brands of .22LR ammunition until a
reliable loading is found. 
						

							13
MODEL NUMBER
IDENTIFICATION
MODEL NUMBER & SERIAL NUMBER
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2a
Trigger Guard
Trigger
Grip
Magazine
Well
Magazine
Release
Front Sight
Frame
Slide
Slide Stop 
Rear Sight
Take Down
Button BarrelManual 
Safety
Accessory
Sight Mount 
						

							14
INSPECTING
YOUR PISTOL
PRIOR TO FIRING
When you inspect your pistol, you should first check for yourself
to ensure that it is unloaded. To do this, grasp the pistol with
your finger off the trigger and outside the tr
igger guard, point the
pistol in a safe direction, depress the magazine release, and
remove the magazine (Figure 3). With the pistol still pointing in
a safe direction, grasp the
serrated sides of the slide from
the rear with the thumb and
fingers as shown in Figure 4,
and briskly draw the slide fully
rearward in order to extract any
cartridge from the barrel
chamber and clear it from the
pistol. Do not obstruct the ejec-
tion port because doing so can
interfere with ejection of a car-
tridge and thereby creates the
risk of exploding an uncham-
bered cartridge and possible
injury. Lock the slide in the open
position, by allowing the slide to
move slightly forward from the
rearmost position while pressing
upward on the slide stop. You
are now able to safety check the
mouth of the barrel chamber visually for any obstructions (Figure
4). At the same time, observe the breech face (Figure 5) to
ensure that the firing pin is not protruding from the breech face.
(Figures 5 & 6). Finally, ensure that the slide moves freely along
the frame through its full length of travel (Figure 7). Always lock
the slide in the “open” position as described above. You must
follow this procedure every time your firearm is inspected,
cleaned, handed to another person, transported or stored.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 5FIGURE 6
FIGURE 7
Firing Pin
ProtrudingNO 
Firing Pin
Protruding 
						

							LOADING
•Do not load the pistol until you are ready to use it.
•Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard 
until you are ready to fire.
WARNING: In 2001, a magazine safety was added to
all Sport Series Pistols. Pistols with a magazine
safety are designed to disengage the trigger linkage,
and thereby prevent the trigger from firing the pistol
when the magazine is removed from the pistol. Never place
your finger on the trigger or in the trigger guard while you
remove the magazine. Doing so could cause the handgun to
fire. After inserting a magazine, always test to make sure it
is locked in place by applying some removal pressure to the
exposed portion of the magazine butt plate.
Smith & Wesson Sport Series pistols manufactured
prior to the addition of the magazine safety will fire
with the magazine removed and are marked 
“CAUTION - CAPABLE OF FIRING WITHOUT MAGAZINE”
If the magazine is removed with a round left in the chamber, be
sure to holster or otherwise safely secure the pistol under your
direct control while the magazine is being reloaded.
•Only use Smith & Wesson magazines specifically
manufactured for your particular model of pistol. Do not
interchange magazines from one model pistol into another 
model pistol.
•Smith & Wesson has provided you with a magazine 
designed to operate in your specific model of pistol. While 
your magazine may be able to be inserted into another 
model pistol, it will only function properly in the specific 
model for which it was designed.
•Follow instructions in this manual and any other specific 
instructions which may be marked onto, or accompany, a
magazine. Failure to use the particular type of Smith & 
Wesson magazine specified for your model and caliber of 
pistol may result in a malfunction.
•Load the magazine by first pulling the follower  down as you 
insert a cartridge rim (rear of cartridge) downward on the 
forward portion of the magazine follower (or downward on 
the case of the previously loaded cartridge) and sliding the 
cartridge fully under the lips of the magazine until the 
cartridge rim is against the rear wall of the magazine. (Fig. 8)
Repeat the procedure for the number of cartridges you wish 
to load, up to the magazine capacity. Do not attempt to load 
your magazine with more than the specified number of 
cartridges because doing so can cause a feeding failure.
•Place the manual safety in the safe (up) position.
15
FIGURE 8 
						

							•Inspect your pistol to ensure that the chamber is empty and 
the firing pin is not protruding beyond the breech face as 
previously described in the “Inspecting Your Pistol” section.
WARNING: Verify that the firing pin is not protruding
from the breech face.
WARNING: Never attempt to load the pistol by
inserting a round into the open ejection port.
WARNING: Always load a round into the chamber by
feeding it from the magazine. Failure to follow this
warning can result in severe injury or death to you or
others.
Hold the pistol in one hand while pointing it in a safe direc-
tion and with your finger off the trigger and outside the trig-
ger guard. Insert the loaded magazine into the magazine 
well (opening) with enough force to ensure that it is locked in 
place.
WARNING: Do not use excessive upward force when
inserting a loaded magazine into the pistol. Excessive
upward force could cause the slide to move forward,
chambering a round and making the pistol ready to fire.
•To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely
inserted, apply some removal pressure to the exposed 
portion of the magazine butt plate.
•Press down on the slide stop to release the slide and allow it 
to carry fully forward. This strips a cartridge from the 
magazine and seats it in the chamber of the barrel.
WARNING: If the cartridge fails to strip from the 
magazine or fully seat into the chamber, IMMEDIATELY
stop the loading process and determine the cause and
correct the problem before proceeding.
WARNING: The pistol will fire if the manual safety is
placed in the fire (down) position and the trigger is
pulled.
•Remember to keep your pistol pointed in a safe direction 
under all conditions and always keep your finger or any other 
object off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you 
have made the commitment to fire the handgun. Never 
leave a loaded firearm unattended.
LOADING CONT’D.
16 
						

							17
FIRING
•Keep the pistol pointed in a safe direction and your finger 
outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire. Place 
the manual safety in the fire (down) position. While 
holding the grip firmly, pull the trigger fully to the rear. As the 
trigger is drawn fully to the rear, the hammer is released, 
striking the firing pin which strikes the cartridge primer.
Upon firing the slide moves rearward thereby extracting and 
ejecting the spent cartridge case. The slide then returns 
forward feeding the next cartridge from the magazine into the 
barrel chamber.
•After firing you must allow the trigger to move forward fully 
before you can fire another shot. Failure to do so will prevent 
the lockwork from fully cycling and will prevent your being 
able to fire the next shot. Keep your finger off the trigger and 
outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire again.
This sequence can be repeated until the last round has been 
fired, at which time the magazine follower exerts upward 
pressure on the slide stop causing it to engage the slide and 
to hold it in the “open” position.
WARNING: Upon firing the pistol or releasing the
slide from the slide stop, the slide moves rearward
or forward with significant force and speed. To
avoid injury be sure no part of your body inter-
feres with the slide movement or ejection of the fired case.
CLEARING MISFIRES
•If, during firing, a cartridge fails to fire, the chamber must be 
manually cleared. Wait ten seconds while keeping the pistol
pointed in a safe direction. Verify that the manual safety is in the 
safe (up) position. Release and remove the magazine. Grasp the 
serrated sides of the slide from the rear and briskly pull the slide 
fully rearward to eject the misfired round. Keep your finger off of the 
trigger and out of the trigger guard. Do not obstruct the ejection 
port, and do not attempt to catch the round by placing your hand 
over the ejection port. (See figure 8) Also, remember that any time 
you release the slide while a magazine containing cartridges is in 
the pistol, you will have reloaded the chamber.
WARNING: If your handgun gives any indication that
it is not performing properly, or the operation of your
handgun has changed “the way it feels or sounds”,
STOP FIRING. Make sure the firearm is pointed in a
safe direction, unload the firearm and have it 
inspected and test fired by a qualified gunsmith or a
Smith & Wesson factory gunsmith. 
						

							18
UNLOADING
•Point the muzzle in a safe direction. Make sure your finger is 
off the trigger and out of the trigger guard. Verify that the 
manual safety is in the safe (up) position. Depress the 
magazine release, and remove the magazine (Figure 9).
With the muzzle still pointing in a safe direction, and with your 
finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard, grasp the 
sides of the slide from the rear with the thumb and fingers, 
and briskly draw the slide fully rearward in order to extract 
any cartridge from the barrel chamber and clear it from the 
pistol. Do not obstruct the ejection port because doing so 
can interfere with ejection of a cartridge and thereby creates 
the risk of exploding an unchambered cartridge and possible 
injury (Figure 10.
•Unload the magazine by holding it with the bullet end of the 
cartridge pointing away from you and pressing each cartridge 
forward and out of the magazine.
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 10 
						

							FIELD STRIPPING
DISASSEMBLY
WARNING: Always follow the field stripping instruc-
tions exactly. Never do anything beyond what you
are specifically instructed to do in this manual.
Never alter or modify the parts in your pistol.
WARNING: Safety glasses should be worn during
this process.
•Point the pistol in a safe direction. Make sure your finger is 
off the trigger, and the trigger is in the at rest or forward 
position. Depress the magazine release, and remove the 
magazine. (Figure 8)  With the barrel still pointing in a safe 
direction, and with your finger off the trigger and outside the 
trigger guard, grasp the serrated sides of the slide from the 
rear with the thumb and fingers while holding the firearm in 
an upright position, and briskly draw the slide fully rearward 
in order to extract any cartridge from the barrel chamber and 
clear it from the pistol. Lock the slide into the open position 
by pressing the slide stop lever to the up position.
•Make certain that the chamber is clear. (Figure 9)
•While holding the pistol in the shooting hand, grasp the front 
of the barrel with the free hand and depress the take down 
button This may require significant pressure.
•While firmly holding the take down button in, lift the barrel 
upward until the barrel stud clears the frame (Figure 11).
WARNING: After completion of the next step,
the slide, being under spring tension, could be 
inadvertently released from the frame and cause
injury.
WARNING: Do not lift barrel beyond the point
necessary for barrel stud to clear the frame or 
damage may occur (Figure 12).
FIGURE 11
FIGURE 12
19 
						

							•Release the take down button. Place the index finger of your 
shooting hand on the slide.
•Gently move the barrel rearward, freeing the rear sight bridge 
hook from the frame.
•As the barrel is lifted from the frame continue to capture the 
slide assembly with the index finger of your shooting 
hand.(Figure 13)
•  Lift barrel off of the frame assembly and set it aside.
(Figure 14)
•Grasp the slide with the free hand. Release the slide stop 
and while applying downward pressure, allow the slide 
to move forward until it stops (Figure 15).
•Carefully lift the rear of the slide while moving the slide
forward and off of the frame (Figure 16).
•Remove the recoil spring assembly from the slide and set 
aside (Figure 17).
WARNING: The plastic recoil spacer MUST
be
attached before
firing. (Figure 18).
FIGURE 13
20
FIELD STRIPPING DISASSEMBLY CONT’D.
FIGURE 14
FIGURE 15
FIGURE 16
FIGURE 17